Start or Sit Cam Newton, Jared Goff, or Tom Brady?
It’s the fantasy football finals, and you are completely unsure of your roster, despite it getting you all the way here! Don’t act like you aren’t. If you were certain, you wouldn’t be reading this. This final chapter of our weekly start or sit features highlights three players with good matchups and three with bad matchups at each position. We hope to give you some sort of scapegoat when you make the wrong decisions this weekend. After all, you only make the correct calls in your fantasy football start or sit decisions. Every other time was some goon on the internet letting you down.
Start or Sit Cam Newton versus Atlanta
Let’s get this part out of the way because it ultimately doesn’t matter. Cam Newton has one of the most primo matchups in the fantasy football finals. The Falcons have allowed multiple passing touchdowns in three of their last six games, and they allow the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks on the season. Over their last eight games, however, they’ve learned to do more with less, provided the matchup is good. Five of their last eight opponents have thrown for one or fewer touchdowns, with Baker Mayfield, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers breaking that trend. I don’t know if you’ve watched Cam Newton lately, but he throws a football as well as I do right now. His shoulder is damaged, but even he doesn’t know what’s wrong with it. Cam’s always been an upper body thrower, and when his upper body is broken with a mysterious malady, everything goes to hell. Over his last two games, Cam can’t get the power behind his throws, and he’s ended up with fewer than 400 yards and zero touchdowns combined. Cam is basically every possible sort of a mess right now, and you can’t trust him with that injury, despite the matchup. Those lucky enough to be in their fantasy football finals trying to decide if they should start or sit Cam Newton should sit him this week.
Start or Sit Jared Goff at Arizona
It’s starting to look increasingly like Jared Goff somehow broke something (inside his body, or inside his brain) either during the bye or in that massive 54-51 shootout against the Kansas City Chiefs. Prior to that game, Goff was on pace to throw for 5,000+ yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He threw a touchdown on 6.6% of his pass attempts, and an interception on only 1.8% of his passes. Since that game ended, Goff’s paced for 3,872 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 37 interceptions. While those touchdowns and interceptions would even out after a while, his 0.76% touchdown rate and 5.34% interception rate show that things have gone horribly wrong, in a hurry. This week, he gets a Cardinals pass defense that is the only bright spot on an otherwise godawful roster. They’ve allowed three passing touchdowns in their last three games, and only Philip Rivers has more than 250 passing yards against them since week six. They’ve stymied opposing quarterbacks, and Jared Goff appears eminently stymieable at the moment. Jared Goff started the season as a set-and-forget quarterback, but since his bye week, he’s been a player you seriously consider if you should start or sit. With your fantasy football season on the line, and other quarterbacks playing much better in better matchups, it’s time to sit Jared Goff.
Start or Sit Tom Brady versus Buffalo
It’s time for some harsh Tom Brady realities. Since week eight, he has as many games with zero touchdown passes as he does games with multiple passing touchdowns (two). He’s topped 300 passing yards just three times in that span, as well. It’s not shocking to put two and two together to get to the fact that Tom Brady has had just one 20-point fantasy game in that timeframe. He’s officially become an active detriment to his fantasy football owners, and despite his status as the GOAT, he has owners actively questioning if they should start or sit him. This week, I would put Brady down on your bench. Or heck. Get spicy, drop him, and get your opposition to start him. He gets the worst possible matchup this week, as the Buffalo Bills not only allow the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks, they’ve gotten even better at it lately. They have as many interceptions as touchdowns allowed (five) since week eight, and that is a streak that started with blanking Tom Brady back in week eight. They’re a bad matchup, and Brady has been slip-sliding lately. I don’t care how handsome he is, you can’t forget that he open mouth kisses his son. Sit him.
These guys have all struggled lately, and face difficult matchups. If I was in the unenviable position of deciding who to start or sit among them, I would go with
- Jared Goff
- Tom Brady
- Cam Newton
Looking for more week sixteen start or sit advice? Check out our additional pieces below!
Start or Sit Dak Prescott, Baker Mayfield, or Josh Allen?
Start or Sit Marlon Mack, Chris Carson, or Damien Williams?
Start or Sit Matt Breida, Smallwood, or Peyton Barber?
Start or Sit Dante Pettis, Robby Anderson, or Josh Gordon?
Start or Sit Jarvis Landry, Chris Hogan, or Antonio Callaway?
Start or Sit Blake Jarwin, Chris Herndon, or David Njoku?
Start or Sit Jimmy Graham, Vance McDonald, or Austin Hooper?
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